Pages

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

The Butler (October 31) - Lee Daniels' (The Paperboy) latest film traces a number of significant United States
historical events that changed the nation - the assassination of JFK,
the Freedom Riders movement, the Vietnam War - through the incredible story of
Cecil Gaines' (Forest Whitaker) decade-spanning butler service to the White
House and eight Presidents, and his son Lewis' (David Oyelowo) involvement in the burgeoning civil rights movement. It is an incredible
story that is worth telling and ultimately quite moving, but it is a
shame how awfully inelegant some of the editing is, and how uneven and episodic this
self-consciously well-intentioned film is in tone and subject.

The mild-mannered Cecil's personal journey, his comradeship with the other butlers in
the White House (Cuba Gooding Jr. and Lenny Kravitz), his
relationship with his wife Gloria (Oprah Winfrey), and the domestic tension that arises as a result of his son's political activism, are where Daniels excels. It didn't need to direct so much individual focus on
Louis' exploits, nor Gloria - whose struggle with alcoholism and an
affair with a neighbour don't contribute a lot at all. This should have been predominantly Cecil's
story, and sometimes I think that Daniels forgot about that, distracted by the more provocative civil rights stuff. He tries for too much, and while it was more confronting than I
expected, a lot of the power just doesn't resonate. This is Daniels' best-looking film to date, and he continues to be a most interesting filmmaker. My favourite of his films so far remains The Paperboy. Oprah, looking a likely nominee for Best Supporting Actress, and Whitaker
impress most from the whos-who cast while the always-charismatic James Marsden (as Kennedy) is
perhaps the pick of the various Presidents. Others (Cusack as Nixon) don't fare so well. ★★★

Mr Pip(November 7) - Based on the novel by New Zealand author, Lloyd Jones, Mr Pip is directed and adapted for the screen by Andrew Adamson. Set against the backdrop of civil war in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, it weaves together this shocking and violent period of recent history with a powerful story of how a literary classic, told in a unique way, can relate in an unlikely context and how a young woman finds necessary hope and inspiration from the most unexpected of sources.

With many of the young men in her village fighting with the Revolutionary Army for Bougainville's independence, the school is closed and fourteen-year-old Matilda (Xzannjah, a newcomer and a talent) and the other remaining children in her village are left without a teacher. A kindly, soft-spoken and eccentric Brit, Mr Watts (Hugh Laurie, excellent), living on the island with his ill wife, volunteers to take over the teaching duties, despite having no prior experience, with his classes set around the reading of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. A gifted orator, he brings this classic work of literature to life. Matilda is especially taken by the story, letting her imagination run wild as she visualizes the sandy beaches of her island transformed into the streets of London and interacting with her own imagining of Pip. Matilda's mother is not so pleased by the words of Dickens, taking over Watts' classes to emphasize the important lessons found in the Bible. The children, and many of the other adults, are more interested in escaping their struggles through Pip's adventures, however.

For the most part this is a sweet, pleasant story but there are some unsettling shifts in tone that challenge Adamson's film's status as family-friendly. Visually handsome, there are plenty of surprises - Watts' past remains the most intriguing mystery, his teachings have dangerous consequences, some sacrifices genuinely affecting - but due to the unrest there is an ever-present tension and some gut-wrenching violence (implied, not shown). While the stressing of the Bible's teachings - to accept their reality, and not to try and escape through a fictional character - is a tad heavy-handed, and I did struggle to accept just how much bearing the innocent mention of 'Pip' has, I found Mr Pip to be quite moving. ★★★1/2

Enough Said (November 14) - Writer/director Nicole Holofcener's latest film is a charming romantic dramedy - it's achingly funny very often, and yet the inevitable speed bumps in a relationship send these full-blooded characters down some saddening paths. It is an honest, astute and often uncomfortably realistic study of the unpredictability of human interaction and middle-aged relationships amidst the messy navigation of post-divorce loneliness and paternal anxiety by a filmmaker interested in creating real, relatable human beings for the screen. It
is also about the unique attraction people have for one another; a
spark that only they can feel. Your new best friend continually rags
about the guy but you can't see the flaws yourself - unless you start
looking for them. It poses the question: How much are our feelings for someone influenced by by how others feel about them?

Eva (Julia Louis Dreyfus) is a divorced single parent and masseuse who dreads her daughter's impending
departure for college. When she meets Albert (James Gandolfini) at a party - a sweet,
funny guy in a similar situation - their romance
quickly blossoms. At the same party Eva also befriends Marianne (Catherine Keener), a new
massage client. Marianne doesn't speak fondly of her ex-husband, and when Eva learns the identity of this man, she finds her new relationship begin to unravel. Holofcener smartly manages to defy genre conventions even if one of the odder relationships, Eva's new-found closeness with her daughter's needy best friend (a potential stand-in for when she leaves for college?), who she begins to feel more comfortable confiding in and mothering, than her own daughter, don't work as effectively as those between the adults (ex-spouses bicker at dinner parties, new lovers flirt and best friends gossip). Holofcener has created a film that is romantic and heartfelt in an unorthodox way, adult without being unnecessarily crude and with a wryness tamed by warmth. Enough Said comes recommended for the sharp dialogue and the exceptional chemistry between the talented cast alone. Louis-Dreyfuss and Gandolfini, whose mutual attractiveness to one another and the comfort and ease that they fall into companionship is a progression never in doubt, are a terrific pair. Toni Collette and Ben Falcone provide excellent support as a playfully bickering married couple. Louis-Dreyfuss is perfectly equipped for this role after year's of improvisation with her male cohorts on Seinfeld. It is far too long since we were privileged to see her limitless talents in the cinema and Holofcener has written her a fantastic character here.The tragic recent passing of James Gandolfini this year gives this film a melancholy context. Taking on a role completely against-type, he is absolutely extraordinary. Just this morning, actually, he was honoured with a posthumous nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Independent Spirit Awards. I have continued to appreciate Enough Said the further removed I am from it. It is still screening regularly at independent cinemas. ★★★★

Monday, November 25, 2013

How busy, and not particularly interesting, is this week? Hitting cinemas are Carrie, One Chance, How I Live Now, Austenland, Magic Magic, Fill The Void,The Darkside and White Lies. Now, I am not sure where some of these films are being released, but I understand they will all be programmed somewhere nationally from Thursday.

At Dendy Newtown there will also be advanced screenings of The Spectacular Now and Closed Circuit (December 5).

Carrie - A re-imagining of the classic horror tale about Carrie White (Chloë Grace
Moretz), a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply
religious mother (Julianne Moore), who unleashes telekinetic terror on
her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom. Based on
the best-selling novel by Stephen King.

One Chance - From the director of The Devil Wears Prada, One Chance is the inspirational true story of Paul Potts, a shy, bullied shop
assistant by day and an amateur opera singer by night. Paul became an
instant YouTube phenomenon after being chosen by Simon Cowell for
'Britain's Got Talent.' Wowing audiences worldwide with his phenomenal
voice, Paul went on to win 'Britain's Got Talent' and the hearts of
millions. Fresh from celebrating his Tony Award-winning Broadway run in
'One Man, Two
Guvnors', BAFTA winner
James Corden stars as Paul Potts and is supported by
an acclaimed ensemble cast.

How I Live Now - Set in the near-future UK, Saoirse Ronan plays Daisy, an American teenager sent
to stay with relatives in the English countryside. Initially withdrawn
and alienated, she begins to warm up to her charming surroundings, and
strikes up a romance with the handsome Edmund (George MacKay). But on
the fringes of their idyllic summer days are tense news reports of an
escalating conflict in Europe. As the UK falls into a violent, chaotic
military state, Daisy finds herself hiding and fighting to survive. Review by Kwenton Bellette at Graffiti With Punctuation.

Set
in the near-future UK, Ronan plays Daisy, an American teenager sent to
stay with relatives in the English countryside. Initially withdrawn and
alienated, she begins to warm up to her charming surroundings, and
strikes up a romance with the handsome Edmund (George MacKay). But on
the fringes of their idyllic summer days are tense news reports of an
escalating conflict in Europe. As the UK falls into a violent, chaotic
military state, Daisy finds herself hiding and fighting to survive. -
See more at:
http://www.magpictures.com/howilivenow/#sthash.0f8FCVx3.dpuf

Set
in the near-future UK, Ronan plays Daisy, an American teenager sent to
stay with relatives in the English countryside. Initially withdrawn and
alienated, she begins to warm up to her charming surroundings, and
strikes up a romance with the handsome Edmund (George MacKay). But on
the fringes of their idyllic summer days are tense news reports of an
escalating conflict in Europe. As the UK falls into a violent, chaotic
military state, Daisy finds herself hiding and fighting to survive. -
See more at:
http://www.magpictures.com/howilivenow/#sthash.0f8FCVx3.dpuf

Set
in the near-future UK, Ronan plays Daisy, an American teenager sent to
stay with relatives in the English countryside. Initially withdrawn and
alienated, she begins to warm up to her charming surroundings, and
strikes up a romance with the handsome Edmund (George MacKay). But on
the fringes of their idyllic summer days are tense news reports of an
escalating conflict in Europe. As the UK falls into a violent, chaotic
military state, Daisy finds herself hiding and fighting to survive. -
See more at:
http://www.magpictures.com/howilivenow/#sthash.0f8FCVx3.dpuf

Set
in the near-future UK, Ronan plays Daisy, an American teenager sent to
stay with relatives in the English countryside. Initially withdrawn and
alienated, she begins to warm up to her charming surroundings, and
strikes up a romance with the handsome Edmund (George MacKay). But on
the fringes of their idyllic summer days are tense news reports of an
escalating conflict in Europe. As the UK falls into a violent, chaotic
military state, Daisy finds herself hiding and fighting to survive. -
See more at:
http://www.magpictures.com/howilivenow/#sthash.0f8FCVx3.dpuf

Set
in the near-future UK, Ronan plays Daisy, an American teenager sent to
stay with relatives in the English countryside. Initially withdrawn and
alienated, she begins to warm up to her charming surroundings, and
strikes up a romance with the handsome Edmund (George MacKay). But on
the fringes of their idyllic summer days are tense news reports of an
escalating conflict in Europe. As the UK falls into a violent, chaotic
military state, Daisy finds herself hiding and fighting to survive. -
See more at:
http://www.magpictures.com/howilivenow/#sthash.0f8FCVx3.dpuf

Austenland - Romantic comedy about a 30-something woman whose
lifelong obsession with all things Jane Austen lead her to an eccentric
theme park based on the author's writings, and into the company of a
handsome young suitor. For as long as she can remember, Jane Hayes (Keri
Russell) has treasured the writings of the author behind such literary
classics as Emma, and Pride and Prejudice. For years, Jane had been
stashing away
funds in hopes that
someday she would be able to afford a trip to Austenland - a place where
the die-hard fan can be completely immersed in the elegant world of the
beloved author.

Magic Magic - Sebastian Silva's Magic Magic is more
aptly described as a dark psychological drama with tense overtones. Juno
Temple stars as Alicia - an emotionally fragile young woman in her
early 20's
with a murky history.
She joins her cousin Sarah (Emily Browning), Sarah's boyfriend Agustín
(Agustín Silva), the couple's eccentric friend Brink (Michael Cera) and
Agustín's sister Barbara (Catalina Sandina Moreno) for a retreat in the
countryside, but from the beginning, things don't go as planned. In the
days that follow, tension erupts between Alicia and the other
members of the group, particularly Brink, who displays extreme
anti-social tendencies and grows fond of malevolently pushing the girl's
buttons. After Sarah returns, all hell threatens to break loose and it becomes increasingly apparent
that Alicia is now teetering on the brink of a full-scale mental
breakdown.

Fill The Void - 18-year-old Shira is the youngest daughter of the Mendelman family from
Tel Aviv. She is about to be married off to a young man of the same age
and background, which is a dream-come-true for her. On
Purim, her 28-year-old sister, Esther, dies while giving birth to her
first child.Everything changes when a match is proposed to Yochay -
Esther's late husband-to a widow from Belgium. Yochay feels it's too
early, although he realizes that sooner or later he must seriously
consider getting married again. When Shira’s mother finds out that
Yochay may marry the widow and move away with her only grandchild, she
proposes a match between Shira and Yochay. Shira will have to choose
between her heart's wish and her family duty.

The Darkside - The award-winning creative force behind the exquisite Samson and Delilah return with a ground-breaking and unnerving project - true
stories from the other side. Aboriginal people live on the threshold of
two worlds - one of everyday reality and the other of spirits, demons
and entities. They can live an ordinary life with dead ancestors and
demons all vying for space. Director Warwick Thornton assembles a
collection of poignant, sad, funny and absurd ghost tales from across
Australia and brings
them to life with some
of Australia's most iconic actors as the storytellers.

White Lies - A story about the nature of identity: those who deny it
and those who strive to protect it. Paraiti (Whirimako Black) is a
medicine woman. She is the healer and midwife of her rural, tribal
people - she believes in life. But new laws are in force prohibiting
unlicensed healers. On a rare trip to the city, she is approached by
Maraea (Rachel House), the servant of a wealthy woman, Rebecca (Antonia
Prebble), who seeks her knowledge and assistance in order to hide a
secret which could destroy Rebecca's position in European settler
society. If the secret is uncovered a life may be lost, but hiding it
may also have fatal consequences. So Paraiti, Maraea and Rebecca become
players in a head on clash of beliefs, deception and ultimate salvation.

Weekly Recommendation:White Lies is New Zealand's candidate for Foreign Language Film at this year's Academy Awards, so as it is potentially the best film to be released from the country this year. It could be worth seeking out. Warwick Thornton's latest project also sounds fascinating, but opportunities will be limited. I feel like I have seen the entirety of One Chance in the trailer so I am going to skip that, and Austenland just doesn't sound very good. I am intrigued about How I Live Now - I really liked Kevin McDonald's The Last King of Scotland and Touching the Void - so I'll make the time to catch it, while my sole recommendation this week happens to be the only one I have seen. That is Magic Magic. With great performances from the young cast, this bleak, unsettling thriller delves into the various anxieties of traveling, the mounting
psychological trauma that accompanies the warped consciousness
associated with insomnia, and the degradation of a young person from repeated
bouts of shame and embarrassment.

Suzanne Collins’ second bestselling novel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has been adapted for the screen by Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) and Michael Arndt (as Michael deBruyn, Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3) with Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend, Water for Elephants)
taking over the franchise reigns from Gary Ross. This thrilling,
emotional and all-round superior sequel further develops the fascinating
world of Panem and the narrative’s primary themes and situates our
brave heroine Katniss Everdeen (portrayed by Academy Award winner
Jennifer Lawrence, the girl on fire literally) within a
politically-charged period of Panem’s history where she finds herself
once again a beacon of hope for civilians and unwillingly assigned a
vital role in the shaping of their future. This is again dependent on
her survival through the 75th Annual Hunger Games.

Catching Fire commences with Katniss and Peeta
Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) at home in District 12. On the eve of their
televised and celebrated Victory Tour throughout the districts,
President Snow (Donald Sutherland) visits Katniss and challenges her to
continue to convince Panem that her defiance in the 74th Games was out
of love for Peeta and not with the intention to inspire rebellion
against the Capitol and the barbaric annual event. The lives of her
family, and the man who has truly captured her heart, Gale (Liam
Hemsworth), are threatened if she refuses compliance.

When Snow senses an uprising, despite Katniss’ best
attempts to protect her family, he hires master game designer Plutarch
Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) as any ally, who suggests they add a
new rule for the Games honouring the Third Quarter Quell – that
contestants be reaped from the existing pool of victors. Katniss and
Peeta find themselves once again representing District 12, aligned
against some disgruntled (some highly skilled, others aging) former
victors. With Panem on the brink of rebellion and the Capitol losing
sight of the power they have long presided over, will their primary
means at keeping order be the key to their undoing?

Friday, November 8, 2013

Kill Me Three Times the new crime thriller from Kriv Stenders (Red Dog, Boxing Day). Principal photography began on the film in
Western Australia on 16th September and concluded late last month.

The
film stars Simon Pegg, Sullivan Stapleton, Alice Braga, Teresa Palmer, Bryan
Brown, Callan Mulvey and Luke Hemsworth. With an original screenplay by James
McFarland, the film is produced by Laurence Malkin and Share Stallings (the
team behind Death At A Funeral and A Few Best Men) and Tania Chambers, the
former CEO of Screen New South Wales.

The story takes place in an Australian surfing town, where a young singer, portrayed by Alice
Braga, is the thread that binds three tales of murder, blackmail and revenge.
Simon Pegg will play a mercurial assassin, hired by her wealthy husband
(Callan Mulvey), Sullivan
Stapleton plays a gambling addict that attempts to pay off his debts
through a risky life insurance scam, whilst Teresa Palmer plays a small town
Lady Macbeth who masterminds the scheme. Luke Hemsworth will also star as Braga's love interest, a local
surfer who hopes to rescue the young woman from Pegg's telescopic sights.

THE RAID 2: BERANDAL is Gareth Huw Evan's anticipated follow-up to THE RAID, 2012's outstanding action film. Currently in post-production, the finished film will reach cinemas around the world in the first half of 2014.

Shot and set again in Indonesia, THE RAID 2: BERANDAL picks up two hours after the point where THE RAID left off, diving straight back into a world filled with corruption and violence.

Evans again takes writing and directing duties on this significantly larger project.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Academy Award winning director Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Gladiator). Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Cormac McCarthy (The Road, No Country For Old Men).
Michael Fassbender. Brad Pitt. Javier Bardem. Penelope Cruz. Cameron
Diaz. What happened here? A squandered opportunity. With such a pedigree
preceding the collaboration and such magnificent ingredients, it is
hard not to walk into The Counselor with some level of anticipation and expectation. But few would have foreseen such a tedious and inanimate result.

I enjoy films that try something different and pose a challenge for the audience, but The Counselor
is tough work, encumbered by a thin, confusing plot and inconsequential
and overwritten monologues and anecdotes, while throwing at an audience
blatant misogyny, windshield sex, high speed decapitations and a lot of
other nasty business. I wasn’t a fan, though I thought there were some
fascinating characters and terrific patches of dialogue.

The story is set on the Tex/Mex border (a staple in
McCarthy’s novels) and we are immediately introduced to the titular
protagonist (Fassbender), referred to as ‘The Counselor’ by everyone,
including his beautiful girlfriend Laura (Cruz). This handsome smooth
talker has built up a position of power and as he needs to continue to
fund his lavish lifestyle – buying his fiancé a diamond ring with as few
carrots as possible is in the works – he decides to further capitalize
on it. The Counselor joins the party of Reiner (Bardem), an
eccentrically attired (and haired) client who puts him in touch with a
middleman named Westray (Pitt) who warns him not to get involved with
the Mexican cartel, and the considered smuggling operation. We are also
introduced to Reiner’s girlfriend Malkina (Diaz), a tattooed ice queen
with pet cheetahs and her own agenda. When the deal goes bad – the loot
gets stolen, and The Counselor, having bailed out a biker as a personal
favor to an incarcerated client, is consequently tied to it all. He
finds himself entangled and out of his depth in this unforgiving and
merciless underworld.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Insidious: Chapter 2 - The famed horror team of director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell
reunite with the original cast of Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye
and Ty Simpkins for Insidious: Chapter 2, a sequel to the
acclaimed and terrifying horror film, Insidious, which follows the haunted Lambert family as they
seek to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them
dangerously connected to the spirit world.

Fruitvale Station - Winner of both the Grand Jury Prize for dramatic feature and the
Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film at the 2013 Sundance Film
Festival, director Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station follows the true
story of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan), a 22-year-old Bay Area
resident who wakes up on the morning of December 31, 2008 and feels
something in the air. Not sure what it is, he takes it as a sign to get a
head start on his resolutions: being a better son to his mother
(Octavia Spencer), whose
birthday falls on New
Year's Eve, being a better partner to his girlfriend Sophina (Melonie
Diaz), who he hasn't been completely honest with as of late, and being a
better father to Tatiana (Ariana Neal), their beautiful four year-old
daughter. Crossing paths with friends, family, and strangers, Oscar realizes that change is not
going to come easily. His resolve takes a tragic turn that would shake the Bay Area -
and the entire nation - to its very core.

The Counselor - Ridley Scott and Pulitzer Prize winning author
Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men) have joined forces for this dark crime thriller, starring Michael Fassbender,
Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, and Brad Pitt. McCarthy,
making his screenwriting debut and Scott interweave the author's
characteristic wit and dark humor with a nightmarish scenario, in which a
respected lawyer's one-time dalliance with an illegal business deal
spirals out of
control. Review by Blake Howard at Graffiti With Punctuation.

Mr Pip - It is based on the New Zealand author Lloyd Jones novel, Mr Pip. It is named after the chief character in, and shaped by the plot of, Charles Dickens' classic novel Great Expectations. Adapted and directed by Andrew Adamson and stars Hugh Laurie.

Weekly Recommendation: Fruitvale Station. One of the year's best. It is a really important film that should be seen by everyone. This affecting, well-acted drama is an exceptional debut feature. The anticipated documentary-esque dramatization of the devastating true
events that took place in Hayward on the 31st December 2008 and at
Fruitvale Station in the early hours of January 1st 2009 is sure to
provoke some pretty strong emotions. I liked Insidious but I have heard mostly negative reactions to the undesired sequel, so I'll likely give it a miss. Mr Pip has received next-to-no marketing, and has been seen by very few people, so I cannot comment on it at all. The Counselor, love it or hate it, will leave you with something to discuss. I did NOT like it. Review to come soon.